Rotary engine.



P. A. RASMUSSEN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLKCATION FlLED-MML'h 191a.

LQQQ6J5? Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET l. 7 ffqz,

l/VVENTOR ATTORNEY P. A. RASMUSSEN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MA.R.4. 1918.

1,290,657. I Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

L Y A TTOR/VE Y P. A. RASMUSSEN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATIUN FiLED MAR. 4. 191B.

Patented Jan. 7,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

IIVVEIVTOI? WITNESSES:

P f/l/ "1 A TTOH/VE Y we nomu! runs on. Pmzmurnm umsumnmm. n 4

PETER A. RASMUSSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROTARY EN GIN'E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

Application filed March 4, 1918. Serial No. 220,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER A. RASMUSSEN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates toimprovements in rotary engines and particularlythat type of such engines, in which steam or other gaseous motive fluidis employed to act against sliding wing pistons and flows transversallywith respect to the power shaft, instead of axially therewith, and itconsists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangementand operation of various parts thereof as will be hereinafter more fullyset forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention, is, to provide a rotary engine tobe used for various purposes, which shall be simple in construction,compact in form, durable and eificient in operation, and constructedwith special reference to securing very high speed and to realizing themaximum of efficiency from the motive fluid. Another important object,is, to provide means for utilizing the motive fluid in the actuation ofthe sliding or wing pistons outwardly with respect to the rotor on whichthey are mounted, and also for actuating packing strips which saidpistons carry to form closures between the pistons and parts of theengine cylinder.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in thesubjoined description and explanation.

In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate an embodiment ofthe invention,

Figure 1, is a central vertical sectional view through the engine takenon line 1, 1, of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by thearrows.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view taken on line 2, 2, of Fig. 1, looking inthe direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged fragmental sectional view taken on line 3, 3, ofFig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4, is a fragmental view in side elevation of the body of the rotortaken on line 4, 4, of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by thearrows.

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5,15, of Fig. 2looking in the direction indicated by the arrows showing theconstruction of one of the wing pistons and its side packing strips.

Fig. 6, is a diagrammatic view of the engine casing showing the istoncarrying ro' tor mounted therein with the pistons in one of theirpositions and illustrating the radii on which the arcs of the chamber ofthe casing are formed, and

Fig. 7, is a like view of like parts showing the pistons in otherpositions which they will assume in the revolution of the rotor.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawings.

The cylinder of the engine is indicated as a whole by the referencenumeral 7, and as usual consists of heads or end members 8 and 9 whichare bolted at their peripheries to the casing or circular portion 10 ofthe cylinder, which portion is provided at a suitable point with aninlet 11. for the passage of steam or other motive fluid through thecylinder from which it will be exhausted through an outlet opening orport 12 located at any suitable point. The inlet opening 11 may havecommunication with a supply of steam or other motive fluid through apipe 13 which communicates with the inlet 11. and may be secured theretoby any suitable means. The cylindcr 10 is mounted on a suitable base 14to which the heads 8 and 9 may be secured at their lower portions bymeans of bolts or otherwise. As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings each of the heads 8 and 9 is provided with an outwardly belliedportion 15 which are circular in shape and provide circular cavities 16on the inner surfaces of said heads or end pieces. The portions 15 andtheir cavities 16 are located eccentrically with respect to the cylindercasing 10. Each of the portions 15 of the cylinder heads is providedcentrally with a hub 17 in which the sections 18 and 19 constituting thepower shaft are journaled. Each of the sections 18and 19 of the powershaft is fixed at its inner end to a disk or plate 20 which are ofsuflicient size to fit snugly within the peripheral walls of thecavities 16 yet so as to rotate therein without undue friction. Locatedbetween the disks or plates 20 is a cylindrical body 21 which togetherwith the members 20 constitute the rotor of the engine. The body 21 ofthe rotor is provided with a plurality of radially disposed slots 22,usually four in number, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings,

which slots 01' recesses extend through the periphery of the body 21inwardly for asufiicient distance to permit of the operation of the wingpistons which they accommodate. The inner end of each of the slots orrecesses 22 is closed by a solid portion 23 of the body 21 which solidportion extends from one side of the body 21 to the other side thereofand rests against the inner surfaces of the disks or plates 20 which arefirmly secured to the body 21 by means of bolts 24 extended throughsuitable openings in the disks and said body at suitable distancesapart. The portion 23 of the rotor body 21 is provided with a numberofopenings 25 to receive connecting rods 26 employed for uniting theopposed Wing pistons 27 one "of which is located in each of the recesses22 of the rotor body. Each of the pistons 27 is rectangular in shape asshown, and is provided with a longitudinally extended slot 28 whichextends from near the inner end of the piston 27 through its outer endand is open at each of its sides. Fitted in each side of the slot 28 ofeach of the pistons 27 is a stem 29 of a packing strip 30 each'of whichis substantially T-shaped in cross section as is clearly shown in Fig. 5of the drawings. The packing strips rest at their outer surfaces againstthe inner surfaces of the heads 8 and 9 of the engine cylinder and areemployed to provide tight closures between the pistons and said heads,or to compensate for the wear of the parts incident to continuous use.Each of the pistons 27 has its side edges beveled as at 31, see Fig. 5,to cause the motive fluid to press against the inner surfaces of thepacking strips 30 and thereby press said strips outwardly, for it willbe understood that the stems 29 of said strips are movably locatedwithin the slots 28 of the pistons. The packing strips 30 extend fromthe inner ends of the slots 28 to a point near the outer ends thereofbut terminate at their outer ends flush with the outer ends ofthepistons so as not to interfere with the operation of packing strips 32one of which is located transversally with respect to the casing 10 onthe outer end of each of the pistons 27 and has a stem 33 extended intothe slot 28 thereofbetween the sterns29of the side packing strips 30.Each of the packing strips 32 is substantially T-shap'ed in crosssection but has its outer surface slightly curved as shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. The outer ends of at least one of the faces of each of thepistons 27 is beveled as at 3 1 toward the packing strips 32 for thepurpose of directing the motive fluid against said strips in order thatthey may be pressed outwardly thereby and against the inner periphery ofthe casing 10 to form a tight closure and to compensate for the wear ofthe p arts,,it;being understood that the stems 33 of the packing strips32 are movably located in the slots 28 of the pistons.

portions 15 of the heads of the cylinder, but

that the body 21 of'the rotor is of greater diameter than said disks andprojects into the space between the heads of the cylinder. Thisprojecting portion of the'body 21 of the rotor is provided at each ofits sides with an angular recess 35 in each of which is fitted asegmental angular packing strip 36 which extends from one of the slots22 in the rotor body 21 to the adjacent slot thereto. At the inner edgeof each of the packing strips 36 the periphery of the body 21 isprovided with a groove or beveled portion 37 to permit the motive fluidto contact with the inner edges of said strips so as to force themoutwardly in close contact with the inner surfaces of the heads of thecylinder. The packing strips 36 are held in movable engagement with theperiphery of the rotor body 21 by means of bars 38 which are extendedcross-wise of said body and overlap the strips 36 as is clearly shown inFig. 3 of the drawings. The bars 38 are fastened to the body 21 by meansof screws 39 and said strips are prevented circumferential movement onthe body 21 by means of an inwardly extended off-set portion 40 withwhich each of said strips is provided to fit in-a suitable recess ailformed in the rotor body 21 therefor.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be seen thattherotor body 21 is provided on-one side of each of the slots 22 thereinwith a port 42 which extends from the inner ends of the recess 22 orfrom the solid portion 23 of the body alongside said recesses andthrough the periphery of the body 21 at points quite near the outer endsof said recesses at their intake sides. By employing these ports itisobvious that as oon as the'outer end of one of said ports is placed incommunication with the supply of motive fluid, said fluid will passthrough said port into the inner end of the recess 28 with which it isconnected and will exert itspower on the inner :end of the. piston '27thus assisting it in its outward movement. The casing 10 of the cylindermay be :provided with a segmental-groove 43-at its inlet portion andWitha similar groove Mat its outlet or exhaust portion to facilitate theinlet ofthe motiye fluid and its exhaust.

Referring to Fig. 6, of the drawings, it will be seen and understoodthat-the cavity of the casing 10 of the engine cylinder is cam-shapedcircu-mferentially and that 'the haust outlet, of a between the lines Cand D which arc is struck or formed on the radius F leading from theaxis I of the rotor shaft. It will be further noted that the arc of thecasing located between the lines A and B is struck or formed on theradius E leading from the axial point I of the rotor and that saidradius E is much longer than the radius F. The arcs of the casingbetween the lines B and C and between the lines D and A are formed orstruck from the radial lines G and H which have a common center Klocated in a vertical plane some distance above the axial point I of therotor shaft. Thus it will be seen that the inner periphery of the casing10 describes a cam-shaped figure that is formed from two axes I and K,the axis I having two radii E and F of different lengths while the axisK has two radii G and H of equal lengths. In the rotation of the rotor21 it is apparent that the pistons 27 will have no sliding or radialmovement as they pass the are beginning at the lines A and C until theyhave passed the lines B and D but after passing the last named lines itis apparent by reference to Fig. 7 of the drawings, that they will havesliding movements until the lines A and C are reached.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent isl. The combination with a suitably mountedcylinder having communication with a supply of motive fluid and anexpower shaft eccentrically journaled in the cylinder, a rotor fixed tosaid shaft and extended therefrom within the cylinder and having aplurality of radial slots extended through its periphery and providednear the intake side of each slot with a port communicating at its innerend with the inner end of the same, segmental packing stripscircumferentially and movably mounted on the periphery of the rotor ateach of its sides and having portions exposed to the action of themotive fluid, a wing-piston slidably mounted in each of the Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the slotsof the rotor and adapted to cont-act at its outer end with the innerperiphery of thecylinder, and members slidably and radially mounted onthe rotor between each pair of the opposed slots and connecting thepistons therein in opposed pairs.

2. The combination with a suitably mounted casing having acircumferentially cam-shaped chamber in communication with a supply ofmotive fluid and provided with an exhaust outlet, said casing having onthe inner surface of each of its ends a circular recess locatedeccentrically with respect to said chamber but in communicationtherewith, the inner periphery of the casing having a pair of opposedarcs formed from radii having the same axis but one of said radii beinggreater than the other, the inner periphery of said casing also having apair of opposed arcs located between the first named arcs and formedfrom radii of equal length having a common axis but independ-- ent ofthe first named axis, a power shaft concentrically journaled in saidcircular recesses but eccentrically journaled with respect to the saidchamber in the casing and with its axis coinciding with the first namedaxis, a rotor fixed to said shaft and extended therefrom within the saidchamber and so as to present a portion of its periphery close to theshorter arc of the first named pair of arcs of the casing, said rotorhaving its ends reduced and located in said recesses and also having aplurality of radial slots extended through its periphery, a wing-pistonslidably mounted in each of said slots and adapted to contact at itsouter end with the inner eriphery of the casing, and members slidablyand radially mounted on the rotor between each pair of the opposed slotsand connecting the pistons therein in opposed pairs.

PETER A. RASMUSSEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, CECILIA CASEY.

"Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. c."

